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Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders share the stage at the fifth Democratic debate in Atlanta last year.

January 2020 Democratic debate

Six candidates will take the stage in Des Moines for the last time before voting begins early in February.

Contributors: Vox Staff

With 20 days to go until the Iowa caucuses and no clear leader in the polls, the seventh Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential election will take place in Des Moines, Iowa, this Tuesday, January 14. Twelve candidates are still vying for the nomination, but only six will be on stage at Drake University when the debate gets underway at 9 pm ET.

The debate will be moderated by CNN and the Des Moines Register; it will stream live on the CNN website and app, as well as on the Des Moines Register site.

Former Vice President Joe Biden; Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Amy Klobuchar; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and billionaire Tom Steyer all qualified for the debate on the strength of either their early-state or national polling numbers. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who made the stage last month in Los Angeles, failed to qualify.

The DNC required that candidates receive at least 225,000 donations and achieve at least 5 percent support in four national polls or 7 percent in two early-state polls to participate in the debate.

Follow along below for Vox’s debate coverage, including how to watch, breaking news updates, analysis, and more.

19 Total Updates Since
Jan 10, 2020, 9:23am EST
  • January 20, 2020

    Democrats should talk about child care costs in a broader way

    By Matthew Yglesias

    Many parents have jobs, not careers — but the issue matters to everyone.

  • January 16, 2020

    2020 Democrats finally got specific on foreign policy in the Iowa debate

    By Alex Ward

    Democrats have different plans on troop levels in the Middle East and Trump-brokered trade deals.

  • January 15, 2020

    The feud between Warren and Sanders supporters feels like 2016 all over again

    By Anna North

    The conflict is opening old wounds from the last election.

  • January 15, 2020

    Talking about the Warren and Sanders handshake keeps us from having to talk about sexism

    By Sean Collins

    The reasons for the debate over whether a woman can win in 2020 are more important than why a handshake didn’t happen.

  • January 15, 2020

    How much does sexism matter for female candidates?

    By Li Zhou

    Sexism plays a role in every election — but using it to disqualify female candidates completely misses the point.

  • January 15, 2020

    What were the other 2020 Democrats doing on debate day?

    By Cameron Peters

    These candidates were off the stage, but they’re not out of the race.

  • January 15, 2020

    4 winners and 3 losers from the January Democratic debate

    By Dylan Matthews, Zack Beauchamp, German Lopez, Anna North, Andrew Prokop, and Nicole Narea

    Bernie Sanders had a good night. Wolf Blitzer did not.

  • January 14, 2020

    Joe Biden skates by again

    By Matthew Yglesias

    The frontrunner keeps running in front.

  • January 14, 2020

    Warren and Sanders’s dispute over a woman in the White House came to a head Tuesday night

    By Li Zhou

    Sanders denies he ever told Warren a woman can’t win the White House. She maintains that he did.

  • January 14, 2020

    Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar are their own evidence that women can win

    By Emily Stewart

    Women talking about women winning is cool.

  • January 14, 2020

    Amy Klobuchar’s moderate case against Medicare-for-all

    By Dylan Scott

    Two words: The Senate.

  • January 14, 2020

    Trump counterprogrammed the Democratic debate with a rally featuring a rant about toilets

    By Aaron Rupar

    The contrast between Trump’s rally in Wisconsin and the Democratic debate in Iowa could not have been clearer.

  • January 14, 2020

    What to expect at the last Democratic debate before the Iowa caucuses

    By Emily Stewart

    Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Tom Steyer are set to face off at the seventh Democratic presidential debate.

  • January 14, 2020

    Iran, China, and war: Foreign policy topics to watch for in the January debate

    By Alex Ward

    Foreign policy may actually play a role in the Iowa debate.

  • January 14, 2020

    Journalists from CNN and the Des Moines Register will moderate the January debate

    By Li Zhou

    The stage will feature just six candidates.

  • January 14, 2020

    The January Democratic debate, like the slate of Oscar nominees, will be very, very white

    By Li Zhou

    This time around, there won’t be a single candidate of color onstage.

  • January 14, 2020

    The state of the 2020 Democratic race before the final pre-Iowa debate, explained

    By Andrew Prokop

    Things are getting increasingly tense because there isn’t much time left.

  • January 10, 2020

    Tom Steyer will be on stage for the next debate

    By Cameron Peters

    Two strong polls in Nevada and South Carolina put him over the top.

  • January 10, 2020

    The next Democratic debate is on a collision course with impeachment

    By Emily Stewart

    Everything you need to know about the next Democratic debate.